Another Avalanche Tragedy in the Mountains - RIP Steve Romeo and Chris Onufer

Our thoughts go out to two more ski mountaineers who perished in the mountains this winter.Steve Romeo and Chris Onufer were recovered today after a large slide occured on Ranger Peak near Jackson Hole. Steve was an avid blogger and everyone over at Teton AT and TGR really appreciated the stoke he brought to the table. Big lines and deep pow from the beautiful Tetons. We wish the best to the family and friends of the victims. What an awful winter. Here is the timeline in reverse order from The Jackson Hole Daily…

1:52 p.m. - Six men carried one body to the Teton County Coroner’s sport-utility vehicle parked in Grand Teton National Park. Seven men carried the second body.

“Until the coroner arrives we cannot definitively confirm the identities” of who was recovered from the slide, Anzelmo-Sarles said.

A helicopter with a cargo net attached left the Colter Bay staging area. The cargo net will be used to transport victims back to the staging area.

12:25 p.m. — A search and rescue helicopter is parked at the staging area near Colter Bay waiting for searchers on the mountain to complete their task. The helicopter has been parked for 45 minutes with a cargo net beside it. Teams are still at the avalanche debris field on Ranger Peak.

Park officials said the alarm on this incident was first raised when Onufer failed to pick up his father at the Jackson Hole Airport at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Teton County dispatch called Grand Teton south district rangers at 11:15 p.m. Rangers discovered Onufer’s vehicle at 12:30 a.m. Thursday at Colter Bay.

There was a 6 a.m. briefing for search team members, and a helicopter began it’s low-flying search of Ranger Peak at 8:40 a.m. Teams of rangers are also being dropped on the ground near the debris field, park officials said. At this point, the identity of Onufer’s ski partner remains uncertain.

10:25 a.m. - Searchers have spotted signs of a large avalanche on the south face of Ranger Peak in Grand Teton National Park, according to persons familiar with the rescue operation.

A staging area has been set up near Colter Bay on the east shore of Jackson Lake. It includes Teton County Search and Rescue personnel, a helicopter and at least one Jackson Hole Mountain Resort representative.

Backcountry skier and blogger Steve Romeo and longtime Jackson Hole Mountain Resort employee Chris Onufer were reported missing when they did not return from a ski expedition near Ranger Peak in Grand Teton National Park Wednesday night.

A Teton County contract helicopter was launched Thursday morning to search for the party.

Check back with the News&Guide today for more details as they become available.